Chase Young Named Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

Ohio State junior defensive end was named the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.

The award, as you may be able to surmise, is given to the Big Ten’s best defensive player and is selected by both the coaches and the media.

Young currently leads the nation with 16.5 sacks, which is an Ohio State single-season record. He is sixth in tackles for loss nationally with 19.5, and is second in the nation with six forced fumbles.

He was also named the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten.

Young was held without a sack last week at Michigan for the first time all season. He notched four sacks against Wisconsin earlier in the season and three sacks against Penn State just a couple of weeks ago.

Young is the first Buckeye to win the award since defensive end Joey Bosa in 2014.

Young becomes the 11th Buckeye to win the award, joining Bosa, John Simon, James Laurinaitis (twice), AJ Hawk, Will Smith, Mike Doss, Shawn Springs, Dan Wilkinson, and Steve Tovar.

Here is the complete list of winners all-time.

Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year
Selected by coaches and media. The award was renamed the Nagurski–Woodson Award in 2011 in honor of Minnesota’s Bronko Nagurski and Michigan’s Charles Woodson.

1990: Moe Gardner, NT, Illinois (coaches) and Darrick Brownlow, LB, Illinois (media)
1991: Leroy Smith, DE, Iowa (coaches) and Troy Vincent, CB, Wisconsin (media)
1992: Steve Tovar, LB, Ohio State (coaches) and Jeff Zgonina, DT, Purdue (media)
1993: Dana Howard, LB, Illinois and Dan Wilkinson, DT, Ohio State (media)
1994: Dana Howard, Illinois
1995: Pat Fitzgerald, LB, Northwestern
1996: Shawn Springs, CB, Ohio State (coaches) and Pat Fitzgerald, LB, Northwestern (media)
1997: Charles Woodson, CB, Michigan
1998: LaVar Arrington, LB, Penn State (coaches) and Tom Burke, DL, Wisconsin (media)
1999: Courtney Brown, DL, Penn State
2000: Jamar Fletcher, DB, Wisconsin
2001: Larry Foote, LB, Michigan
2002: Mike Doss, DB, Ohio State (coaches) and Michael Haynes, DL, Penn State (media)
2003: Will Smith, DE, Ohio State
2004: Erasmus James, DE, Wisconsin
2005: A. J. Hawk, LB, Ohio State
2006: LaMarr Woodley, DE, Michigan
2007: James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
2008: James Laurinaitis, LB, Ohio State
2009: Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State (coaches) and Greg Jones, LB, Michigan State (media)
2010: Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue[2]
2011: Devon Still, DT, Penn State
2012: John Simon, DE, Ohio State
2013: Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin
2014: Joey Bosa, DL, Ohio State
2015: Carl Nassib, DL, Penn State
2016: Jabrill Peppers, LB, Michigan
2017: Josey Jewell, LB, Iowa
2018: Devin Bush, LB, Michigan